Wendy Williams ‘still has trademark humour’ amid brain disease diagnosis

Wendy Williams has been diagnosed with frontotemporal dementia and aphasia.

The 59-year-old media personality was diagnosed with the neurodegenerative disease after presenting with symptoms such as losing her words and acting erratically, per a press release by her team Thursday morning.

“Receiving a diagnosis has enabled Wendy to receive the medical care she requires,” the statement said.

Frontotemporal dementia refers to the loss of nerve cells in the frontal and temporal lobes of the brain. It can impact behavior, personality, language, and motor functions.

However, the former Wendy Williams Show host is “still able to do many things for herself” and has even maintained her “trademark sense of humour,” per the press release.

Williams has previously suffered from various ailments, including Graves Disease and Lymphedema. She has also suffered from alcoholism, her battle documented in the recent Lifetime special Where Is Wendy Williams?

Williams is currently in an undisclosed treatment facility, with her family claiming that they have no contact with her.

“The people who love her cannot see her,” her sister and mother told People Magazine in a cover story published a day before the announcement of her diagnosis.

“It’s shocking and heartbreaking to see her in this state,” they said.